A cheetah from Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park has strayed into Rajasthan, specifically in Pipalda Sammel village under Madanpura panchayat in Kota district, sparking panic among villagers. The cheetah, identified as KP-2, was seen moving through fields and residential areas, leading to locals staying indoors. Farmers who first spotted the animal in their fields alerted the Forest Department and local police, with videos of the sightings shared with officials.
Forest teams from Rajasthan and Kuno National Park are working together to monitor the cheetah’s movements continuously. Officials have observed the cheetah resting under trees and moving cautiously across farmlands and habitation zones. Authorities have advised residents to remain vigilant but not panic, emphasizing that cheetahs typically do not pose a threat to humans.
KP-2 and another cheetah, KP-3, have been entering Rajasthan frequently due to the close proximity of Kuno National Park to the state border. Both cheetahs, around 2.5 years old, are offspring of ‘Aasha,’ an African cheetah relocated to Kuno. Experts suggest that the cheetahs’ movements represent a natural dispersal process as young cheetahs explore new territories and establish independent ranges.
The tracking of KP-2 and KP-3 is being conducted in shifts by Kuno teams in collaboration with Rajasthan forest officials. KP-3 has been spotted regularly in the Mangrol range of Baran district, roaming the area for over three weeks. Cheetah sightings have also been reported in the Vijaypur region and adjacent areas of Morena district in Madhya Pradesh, indicating a broader roaming pattern near the Rajasthan border.
Recently, Cheetah KP-2, which had been roaming in Rajasthan’s Baran for 45 days after straying from Kuno National Park, entered Kota and was observed wandering through wheat fields. Upon receiving this information, forest department teams began monitoring the cheetah, with villagers gathering as it entered nearby villages. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has acknowledged the cheetahs’ movement from Kuno National Park to Rajasthan as natural behavior.
